U.S.-China Clean Energy Initiative I
November 2003, Jackson, Wyoming
"I want to thank the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs for creating this watering hole for these two countries to come together. I want to remind us all that we want to build a legacy of natural resources and a more sustainable climate for our future."
-John Turner, former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and International Scientific Cooperation
"The environment here in Jackson Hole is very beautiful. Many people have worked hard to maintain this natural condition. People all over the world, including China, want to live in a beautiful environment. We all need to work together to achieve this common goal."
-Shi Dinghuan, Counsellor, State Council, People's Republic of China
In November 2003, the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs launched an ongoing effort to bring the United States and China together via market-driven, clean energy solutions cooperation - work that has not ceased since. Organized in partnership with the U.S. State Department and the first official activity as part of JHCGA’s U.S.-China Clean Energy Initiative, It was co-chaired by Hon. John F. Turner, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and Mr. Shi Dinghuan, Secretary-General of the PRC’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). As a native of Jackson Hole, Mr. Turner welcomed Mr. Shi and the other members of the PRC delegation to his home town.
China’s challenges in developing and applying clean and efficient sources and uses of energy are also those of Wyoming and the United States.
A single province – Shanxi, with a population of 30 million – is responsible for 1/5 of the world’s total emissions of coalmine methane, a greenhouse gas with 27 times the heat-trapping capacity of carbon dioxide. Shanxi is not only China’s largest coal-producing province, but also the world’s leading exporter of coke, used in the making of steel. Locally and regionally, the environmental consequences of these mining and manufacturing operations include severe acid rain depositions and the depletion and pollution of surface and ground water supplies. Outcomes and next steps were chronicled in the final report.
